
It's time for another weekend, which means there must be a fresh week's worth of news and insight here in the archives of the Newsroom blog. The smoke finally cleared on the Kanye West "interruption" incident at the Video Music Awards, but plenty of other things filled the void: The premiere of "Dancing with the Stars," the emergence of the friendship between Hayley Williams and Taylor Swift, the premiere of a new Miley Cyrus video and a possible new job for Paula Abdul. This week, we also went behind the scenes with the likes of LeBron James, Paramore, Justin Bieber and Kris Allen. Check out the week's highlights below before you pack the kids in the car and drive to the lake.
» Miley Cyrus premiered the new video for her hit single "Party in the U.S.A." this week. We polled the public and asked the question: Too sexy? Not sexy enough?
» Paramore invited MTV News down to Nashville for a visit, and we even got the guided tour of frontwoman Hayley Williams' car.
» "American Idol" winner Kris Allen dodged a bunch of questions but still came across as charming.
» The "Kanye West interrupts" meme was successfully killed by the Emmy Awards.
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LeBron James may be the best player in the NBA (and there are arguments for him being the game's best of all time), but he hasn't yet tested his skills on the microphone like some other basketball stars. Allen Iverson, Ron Artest, Chris Webber and Kobe Bryant have all dipped their toes into the rap game with varying degrees of success, but perhaps the most successful (and ubiquitous) baller-turned-MC is Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq has put out several hit records and dropped a couple of popular singles (especially during the beginning of his career), and he happens to be James' newest teammate on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs got to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Orlando Magic last season, but maybe Shaq is the missing piece of the puzzle.
James may not have any experience as a rapper, but he certainly knows his way around the hip-hop game. (You need only look at the soundtrack to his new movie "More Than a Game," which features appearances from T.I., Jay-Z, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne and Kanye West, for proof.) So he knows a thing or two about quality rapping. But how would James rank his newest teammate as an MC?
So there you have it. While LeBron named Jay-Z as his number one pick for the annual MTV News Hottest MCs list, he thinks that Shaq could easily hold his own with the likes of J. Hova. Along with a championship, maybe LeBron can broker a long-awaited collaboration between Jigga and Shaq.
It's not enough for LeBron James to be a former NBA MVP and a five-time All-Star for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Having already gotten a lock on dominating the world of basketball (though he's still searching for that elusive championship), he has now moved onto the movie and music world. "More Than a Game," which premiered in New York last night, tells the story of James' legendary high school career and the coach who lead the squad to a national high school championship in the days before LeBron was a hoops icon. The film is accompanied by a massive soundtrack that features tunes from Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and a quartet of performers who have created one of the most buzzed-about singles of the year. The remix of Drake's "Forever" also welcomes verses from Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem. The result is a killer mix of styles, and we have James (at least in part) to thank.
The big debate in the Newsroom for the past few weeks has been about who has the sickest verse on "Forever." Did Drake steal the show from the veterans or is it Kanye's game to win? According to James, everybody delivered big, but in the end it was Slim Shady who took it home. "Eminem really finished it off," James told MTV News. "The last person on that track had to finish it off perfectly, and he did that." Never one to leave a teammate behind, James also praised West's punchlines and the work turned in by Drake and Wayne.
But for LeBron, it all comes back to Jay-Z, who James refers to as his "big brother" (he was also wearing a Roc-A-Fella chain during the interview). "Jay-Z is the best," he said. "11 number one albums, more than Elvis. Who else could beat that?"

Having spent my entire professional career interviewing famous people (save for those few months where I wrote about bespoke suits and bathtubs shaped like slingback heels), I don't really get starstruck. There are a handful of people around whom I squeal like a teenage girl (as anybody who has been in the room with me while Rob Zombie is present can attest), but I generally don't get blown away by fame.
But when it comes to raw, physical abilities, it becomes a whole different ball game. I'll start hyperventilating over even the most minor athletes. I shook late Boston Celtic Reggie Lewis' hand once and count is as one of the great moments of my life. My brother met former Boston Red Sox pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd at a bar a few years ago and I got really jealous. I once went to an industry party solely because I was told Kevin Garnett would be there. The point is, I'm blown away by sports figures, so when I was called upon today to sit down with His Royal Highness LeBron James, the King of Everything, I had to take a few deep breaths.
I sat down with King James (along with film director Kris Belman) to talk about "More Than a Game," the documentary about his high school basketball team. We also went over the movie's killer soundtrack, which features tunes from Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z and T.I., as well as the killer remix of Drake's "Forever" that features verses from Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Eminem. He also revealed who his pick is for the "Hottest MCs" list, who he thinks had the best verse on "Forever" and how he rates new teammate Shaquille O'Neal as an MC — all of which will be appearing all over MTV News over the next few days.
But stupidly, here's the first thing I thought when I shook James' hand: "Man, this guy is tall." I've been around basketball players all my life, but I've obviously never been around the best in the game. It is incredible that James is so unbelievably fast considering his size. The other thing I noticed? His tattoos are great. The dude really carries his ink well.
So the sum total of observations I was able to make during my interview? LeBron James is tall and has tattoos. Insight! But hey, at least I got a great photo (I'm on the bottom), so nobody can say I was never in the presence of royalty.
Tags basketball, drake, Eminem, lebron james, Lil Wayne, mary-j.-blige, More Than a Game, Movies, shaquille o'neal, Sports, t.i.
15-time NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a blockbuster trade. The idea is that Shaq will provide a presence in the middle so that LeBron won't have to carry the burden himself. LeBron would be wise not to cross Shaq, as the 300-pounder has been training for a mixed martial arts fight and has been known to spank a man if he crosses him.
That's exactly what happened back in 2001 when Jack Black and Kyle Gass — better known as Tenacious D (a band name stolen from basketball broadcaster Marv Albert) — sat down for a chat with Shaq. Even though Black praised O'Neal for providing him with one of the more thrilling moments of his life, Shaq still bent the actor/rocker over and gave him what for.
Don't say we didn't warn you, LeBron.
Justin Timberlake isn't a stranger to the basketball court. Remember the days when he would do charity basketball games alongside Britney Spears?
Justin, who has spent many an evening at a Lakers game, has been tapped to narrate the NBA Entertainment doc "Dream Season: 23 & 24," presented by Nike and highlighting Kobe Bryant's and LeBron James' pursuit of this year's championship, and intensifying the hoops debate of "Who's better?" according to the press release.
Timberlake, who is referred to as the "King of Pop" in the release (if they say so — we're not sure how Michael Jackson feels about that), will narrate the doc about the "Kings of the Court."
In the past, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Terrence Howard, Djimon Hounsou and Chris Rock have narrated basketball specials. Justin's special airs tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
Justin hosted the ESPY Awards for the channel last year. "I am starstruck. I mean, I grew up such a sports nut, and I'm still such a sports nut," he said. "If we would have had a conversation when I was 14 years old, I mean, you could not convince me that I was not going to play in the NBA."